What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Solostoke]

Went through my hive that had the queen removed 5 days ago (Pagden) and removed 30odd queen cells leaving them one. Was lovely and warm in the sheltered spot of the apiary.

 

[For want of a better word]

Re located six bloomin heave Cedar Nationals plus a couple of dozen overwintered nucs to their Summer Apiaries.
Off out in a minute to lock in some more!

Nos da

 

[Erichalfbee]

Nothing! I need to get in but although sunny it has been bitterly cold for three days. They will be making queen cells!

 

[Tremyfro]

Collected some bees and relocated them into a Beehaus......they joined in with a small number of bees which may ...or may not...have a queen.

 

[bjosephd]

Nothing! I need to get in but although sunny it has been bitterly cold for three days. They will be making queen cells!

Frustrating! When did you last get in? I wanted to push it to the weekend so my guests could join in, bit lost my bottle today - day 10 - and went in.

I was very fortunate today for a calm warm (enough) afternoon, but 3xdouble lang broods was a marathon inspection.

One of which I only looked in the top box but not a queen cell in sight and plenty plenty of eggs... so I guess it buys me a few more days... I could always go in deeper with my weekend's guests by way of a beekeeping experience for them.

Always amazed at the difference in temperament, behaviour, hive organisation, comb building, etc etc from colony to colony.

...and how often I change who my 'favourite' is.

Today my fave was the colony who can draw dead straight foundationless frames like their's no tomorrow!

 

[bjosephd]

Went through my hive that had the queen removed 5 days ago (Pagden) and removed 30odd queen cells leaving them one. Was lovely and warm in the sheltered spot of the apiary.

Gosh, you must have gone 'queen-cell-blind'.... it's a thing... I just invented.

I wonder though, with 30+ queen cells, natures answer to a sudden queen fatality (as far as the bees are concerned), how would the colony see this through to it's end point if left alone?

A million virgin cast swarms? A massive ultimate show down of ultimate destiny battle royale royal rumble of queens? First queen out kills all the rest? So many emergency queen cella must be the 'best' solution to sudden queen loss... I just can't see how it can perfectly unfold.

Anyway.... I saw a ton of drone brood, and a fair fee drone knocking about today, so hopefully your last remaining queen (cell) should get well mated if your colony and local drones have read all the books!

 

[Erichalfbee]

I wonder though, with 30+ queen cells, natures answer to a sudden queen fatality (as far as the bees are concerned), how would the colony see this through to it's end point if left alone?

A million virgin cast swarms? A massive ultimate show down of ultimate destiny battle royale royal rumble of queens? First queen out kills all the rest? So many emergency queen cella must be the 'best' solution to sudden queen loss... I just can't see how it can perfectly unfold.

A conundrum, indeed.

If you read Wally Shaw's publication "There are Queen Cells in My Hive" on finding emerged and sealed queen cells the thing to do is to spring the yet to emerge queens, suddenly letting loose a multiple of queens-to-be forcing the bees to sort it out..... which they do.
Last year was the first time I attempted Wally's Modified Snelgrove II. Using this method the re-queening part is left to its own devices after being allowed to make as many emergency cells as it wants to. He counsels against looking in but you know what it's like.............To my horror I stopped counting at 30 cells, some open, some sealed and virgins running around. I sprung a few and destroyed the rest and closed up, bemused. I spoke to Wally who was very helpful. He admitted that he didn't know what on earth happened inside but that if you went back into the box a few weeks after you did the AS the bees had indeed sorted it and there was one laying queen. Such honesty, amidst beekeeping tall tales is refreshing.

I did what I was supposed to do next time and all went well.

As an aside. I bought a LASI queen as a bit of an experiment and she was in a small colony that was sitting next to the hive re-queening itself. One of the virgin queens, escaping the carnage next door, got into this hive and murdered my expensive queen. I found her dead on the landing board and her killer running around on the frames. I knew what hive she had come from as the bees were quite different in appearance. So....just based on personal experience....I have advised people using this method to site the re-queening colony away from the others with its entrance facing in a different direction.

Phew.....sorry this is a bit long

 

[bjosephd]

Went through my hive that had the queen removed 5 days ago (Pagden) and removed 30odd queen cells leaving them one. Was lovely and warm in the sheltered spot of the apiary.

Gosh, you must have gone 'queen-cell-blind'.... it's a thing... I just invented.

I wonder though, with 30+ queen cells, natures answer to a sudden queen fatality (as far as the bees are concerned), how would the colony see this through to it's end point if left alone?

A million virgin cast swarms? A massive ultimate show down of ultimate destiny battle royale royal rumble of queens? First queen out kills all the rest? So many emergency queen cella must be the 'best' solution to sudden queen loss... I just can't see how it can perfectly unfold.

Anyway.... I saw a ton of drone brood, and a fair fee drone knocking about today, so hopefully your last remaining queen (cell) should get well mated if your colony and local drones have read all the books!

 

[Solostoke]

Yes there have been drones about for a while so fingers crossed. I removed the queen 5 days ago but most of the cells I found today were already capped so I must have removed the old queen just in time to beat a swarm. With it still being relatively cold when I stumbled on the queen after 3 frames she got moved and the hive closed up.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Not much - too cold, and busy canvassing. Just spent a productive hour though discussing suitable pollinator perennials and shrubs for the community pollinator planting programme with our contractor

 

[madasafish]

Placed one dark used brood comb in brood nest of colony I will start grafting/cell punching on Saturday.
Quick job as it was 9C and windy..

 

[Little John]

Yesterday - with it's bitterly cold north Wind and sleet showers - for a few minutes only I watched in amazement as a few brave souls ventured forth on their foraging sorties.
Then - it was quickly back into the greenhouse which I use as a summer workshop. Once out of that biting wind, it was quite warm - even hot on those few occasions when the sun emerged from behind a cloud. But the outdoor world is not such a great place to be right now.
LJ

 

[Michael Palmer]

Finally finished unwrapping the hives on Friday, and taking stock in what is left after our winter. Things look excellent. 4% loss off production colonies. Less loss in the nucleus colonies, and almost no loss in the mating nucs.

Our spring has been delayed by cold, snow, and rain., We got to work a day here and there. What should have taken a week took three. Now the weather is breaking and the bees are exploding. Looks like we'll be playing the catch-up game by Dandelion.

 

[Jed D]

Laid on the ground under the hives with a torch...
Yep ,,,, I was checking for swarm cells....

Daft idea ' but at least I got out the house...

 

[Hachi]

Laid on the ground under the hives with a torch...
Yep ,,,, I was checking for swarm cells....

Daft idea ' but at least I got out the house...

The best yet

 

[gregior]

Inspected my 3 today,due to the bad recent weather i've not had chance to look in them for 2 weeks and was expecting to see swarm preps. Hive 1 was on 8 frames BIAS (up from 5 frames 2 weeks ago. Hive 2 was on 8 deep and 4 shallow frames BIAS (up from 5 and 2 ) and my double brood was on 17 frames BIAS (up from 12 two weeks ago). No swarm preparations in any of the hives which was a surprise but I Demareed the double brood to be on the safe side.

All had fair amount of stores but noticably less than 2 weeks ago.Varroa looks to be well in check too.

 

[Eyeman]

Inspected my 3 today,due to the bad recent weather i've not had chance to look in them for 2 weeks and was expecting to see swarm preps. Hive 1 was on 8 frames BIAS (up from 5 frames 2 weeks ago. Hive 2 was on 8 deep and 4 shallow frames BIAS (up from 5 and 2 ) and my double brood was on 17 frames BIAS (up from 12 two weeks ago). No swarm preparations in any of the hives which was a surprise but I Demareed the double brood to be on the safe side.

All had fair amount of stores but noticably less than 2 weeks ago.Varroa looks to be well in check too.

How many supers are full? Only a few weeks left of the spring flow.

 

[madasafish]

How many supers are full? Only a few weeks left of the spring flow.

not started here yet..

 

[drex]

Did snelgrove 2 on two hives last week. Due for part two in two days. Other hives no sign of swarm preps but two superseding. Two qc's in each, eggs seen in both and queen spotted in one. Little honey yet though, surrounded by osr but it has been so dry, they are bringing in little nectar

 

[gregior]

How many supers are full? Only a few weeks left of the spring flow.

I don't have any supers on yet all the flow around here comes in July and August.